


Here For A Reason - Part 7

by LoveYourArtFriend



Series: Here For A Reason [7]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Chris Evans - Fandom, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Romance, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 10:24:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18602620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveYourArtFriend/pseuds/LoveYourArtFriend





	Here For A Reason - Part 7

Rhodes came out of Fury’s office and left the Bridge. Steve and Maria watched him then looked at each other. Nick exited his office and walked over to Maria. 

“Hill, I need you to try to get a satellite image up of the Base camp in Damascus. Rhodes sent you the coordinates. He’s going down there as no one can get hold of the camp and haven’t been able to for almost two days. Once Wallace’s team is back, set a course. And get hold of Stark and reroute him to Damascus.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Rogers, be ready. Once Rhodes finds out what’s going on, I might have to kick the remainder of this mission into high gear. The Colonel is concerned that hostiles have taken over the camp and have gotten their hands on the weapons there. I’m going to debrief Wallace’s away team and see what kind of data ‘l/n’ was able to collect.” 

“Yes, Sir.” Steve looked at Maria with a worried look on his face. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Quinjet coming in for a landing on the tarmac. He walked over to the window, watching it touch down and lower the hatch. Agent Wallace exited first and was stating instructions to the remaining agents, his arms performing the directions in the air. The team slowly started to walk off the ramp. They had all their gear, their pants were rolled up to their knees, jackets wrapped around their waists and carrying their boots. All the agents had put their t-shirts back on, although Steve didn’t know what they all had to do to protect themselves from the wind and sand. All he knew was that their shirts were a mess, almost muddy looking. The agents looked hot, red faces and sand trailing behind them onto the tarmac. Steve turned to leave the Bridge, “I’m going to listen to the debriefing,” he told Maria on his way out.

Maria smiled, “Yes, Sir.”

Steve walked into the room, seeing all the agents sitting, either their heads in their hands, scarfing water down or receiving triage attention. He hadn’t spotted you yet as Wallace was giving the play-by-play of the ground mission, then Maria’s voice came through the comms.

“Sir, I have satellite images of the Base camp in Damascus and it’s a little unsettling.”

“Go ahead,” Fury commanded.

“Sir, there should be a couple hundred soldiers at the camp and there’s only about six. They’re all armed and guarding the main bunker. As best I can see, they’re _our_ soldiers, not hostiles.”

Hearing this made you stand in disbelief, the medic pulling his hands away from treating your face with saline and gauze. You glared at Fury like he should know what you were thinking. He turned, saw you and raised his arm halfway to halt you. Steve saw the look in your eyes and looked back at Fury. “What’s Rhode’s ETA?”

“He and Stark should be there in about seven minutes, Sir.”

“Keep the team on comms. I want them to hear everything.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Fury looked back at you, knowing full well your concern for your former camp. “‘L/n’, you’re with me.” You quickly left your dirty, sandy spot and caught up with Fury as he left the room, passing Steve and giving a quick glance. He could tell you were gritting your teeth and he was concerned, but he stayed behind to finish the debriefing and make sure the agents who needed triage were cared for and the ones who didn’t were ready for another mission.

“Sir, what do you know?”

“Only that your former camp has been unreachable for a couple of days by both Colonel Rhodes and Homeland military personnel. We initially thought hostiles took the camp, but we’ll know more when Rhodes and Stark get there. Get cleaned up and meet me on the Bridge in five.”

“Yes, Sir, and here’s the data.” After passing the drive to Fury, you bolted to your quarters. This situation was making your heart beat rapidly. What on Earth could be going on? Whatever it was, you wanted to make sure your military friends were safe. You took the fastest shower in the world, getting all the sand out of your hair and leaving it behind on your shower floor. Your cheek and neck stung from the water but at least it was clean. Throwing another S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform on and towel drying your hair, you left your quarters, turned the corner and plowed right into a medic who was heading to your door. ‘Umpf.’ “I’m sorry, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, he smiled, are you alright?” He lifted your chin to see your burns. I’m just here to put some medication on you and send you on your way.” He already had a latex glove on his hand and gently applied the cream to your upper cheek and neck. You reacted with a deep inhale and held your breath until it was finished.

“Okay, you’re good to go. Just be gentle with the exposed skin for a few days.” 

“Thank you, Sir.” He smiled and let you be on your way. You were thinking of what Bruce had said about fixing up the members of the team. Thank God you didn’t go to him for medical attention. You were sure he had enough of ‘fixing’ you by now, you chuckled to yourself. Making your way to the Bridge, you stood beside Fury. Steve soon entered and stood behind you and Nick.

“‘L/n’, this is what we’re seeing at the camp through our live satellite feed,” Fury motioned to the large screen.

“Rhodes and Stark should be there in less than a minute, Sir,” Maria stated. She looked up at you and gave a saddened look. Suddenly voices came over the comms.

“I’m going to have J. do a sweep before you go down, Rhodey,” Tony announced.

“Got it.”

“J., scan that bunker, please.”

“Yes, Sir.” A few seconds passed before JARVIS spoke again. “Sir, that bunker is full of people, soldiers, one hundred and seventy two of them, to be exact.”

“Ours?” Tony questioned shockingly.

“Yes, Sir. They are indeed Agent ‘l/n’’s former regiment.”

“Oh, shit, this ain’t good,” exclaimed Rhodes.

Your eyes widened like saucers, hearing what was going on with your comrades. Steve’s fists started to clench. “Hill, find out where the closest M.A.S.H. unit is and get our medical backup down there, now!” Fury commanded.

“There are six armed soldiers around the perimeter, Sir,” JARVIS informed Tony.

“Got it. Rhodey, what’s the plan?”

“I’m going down. Going to play it calm and see what the reaction is.” Rhodes landed in front of the soldier at the main entrance to the bunker. As soon as he landed, the soldier recognized him and whipped his rifle behind him, standing at attention and saluting.

“Soldier,” Rhodes saluted back.

“To what do we owe this honor, Sir?” The soldier was already starting to show signs of panic.

“Oh, just a friendly, neighborhood visit to check on our troops and see how they’re doing.” Rhodes saw two more soldiers coming around the corner, rifles in hand.

“Hey guys, look who’s here!” the soldier motioned cautiously to them.

“Oh, Sir, it’s an honor,” they approached, then saluted, guns behind their backs also.

“So gentlemen, what’s going on? Where is everyone? Thought there’d be a little more activity around here.”

“Colonel Rhodes, Sir,” JARVIS interrupted, “the soldiers in the bunker are barely moving. It is 97 degrees inside. I fear they are slowly succumbing to the heat. I would suggest setting your calm plan aside and creating a more rapid one.”

“I’m on it,” Tony came through the comm. He flew in from the backside of the bunker, laying down a track of bullets to force the remaining three guards to the front where Rhodes was. 

Rhodes locked his weapons on all the soldiers, “Disarm, now!” he demanded. All the guards laid down their weapons as Tony landed alongside Rhodes. 

“I got them, Tony.”

Tony went to the bunker door and ripped the whole thing off its track. Inside, the soldiers were silent and listless.

“Okay, listen up!” Tony announced. “Anyone who can get up and move, help another soldier outside and over to the Mess Hall. Medics are on their way and you all need water.” He shot a repulsor blast through the bunker and blew the door off the back, allowing what little breeze there was to filter through. He exited his suit and left it in safety mode, continually scanning the area. Tony ran inside and helped as many soldiers as he could. “Damn, it’s hot in here.”

Rhodes cuffed the six guards and had them sitting on the ground. “Now, someone better tell me what the Hell is going on.” The guards all looked at each other in panic, not wanting to say a word. “Don’t make me go all War Machine on your asses! Someone speak, now!!!”

“Um, Sir, we were just following orders,” Sergeant Ellis spoke up.

“Well, you realize these orders have court marshaled you and have sent you to prison for attempted murder and treason. Now speak. Where is General Griffin?”

“He’s, um, in Turkey, Sir.”

“And why is that?”

“He’s been delivering the weapons we received from the U.S. up to Izmit and laundering them out.”

“What?” exclaimed Rhodes.

“What?” exclaimed Tony.

“What?” exclaimed Fury.

You suddenly became weak and quickly grabbed the back of the chair that was in front of you. It was your console beside Maria and you spun the chair and sat down, rotating to face the computer. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” you kept repeating as you started to feverishly type. Five million scenarios flashed through your brain as you started to piece this putrid puzzle together.

“‘F/n’? Talk to me.” Fury stated, knowing your mind was in high gear. Steve watched you intently.

“Sir, this was never hostiles,” you answered.

“What the Hell are you trying to say, ‘l/n’?”

“Oh, God damn it!” you yelled as you threw your fist down on the console. You hit a button to project your findings on the large screen, shifting the satellite image to half screen. “Sir, the source code. It was never foreign…...it was ours.” Maria shot her head around to face you. Nick and Steve looked at each other then back to the screen. The database findings were flowing through the screen until it stopped…...Source: HOMELAND UNITED STATES ARMY.

“Oh, Hell no!” Fury yelled.

“How did you know,” Maria asked.

“I didn’t until just now. Knowing that General Griffin is behind this, the whole shitbag plan just fell into place. At the beginning of all this, it looked like weapons were coming in from Izmit, we figured probably stolen from another U.S. Base camp nearby. In reality, the weapons were actually the ones delivered to Damascus. He must be driving them to Izmit and Syria, all under the radar. That’s why we couldn’t find any of that in the data Agent Romanoff collected, only that deliveries were made by truck into the Turkish hub. I bet some weapons were flown from Syria to the hub, as well, back and forth. All logs stem from those mountains and we’ve all been deceived into thinking it’s hostiles. If it wasn’t for Colonel Rhodes asking for assistance from our local regimes, we may not have found our soldiers or figured any of this out.”

“What about that code, ‘f/n’?” Maria asked. “I’ve never seen an encryption like that. How did you…….”

“It’s Griffin’s……..and I helped him write it,” you said hesitantly.

“What? Are you joking?” Maria scolded.

You stood abruptly. “It was for our missions. We wrote a new encryption to send our plans safely to the Pentagon, but I left the Army before we actually used it. Apparently, he did.” You were angry, fists clenched and tight jaw.

“Son of a bitch!” Fury exclaimed. “I want that Ass Wipe brought in. Rhodes, Stark, you two stay there until those soldiers are treated then I want those guards brought here.”

“Yes, Sir,” Rhodes replied.

“Hill, send an Air Force jet to their location and prep three more for Syria, Izmit and the hub. Set a course for Turkey and put us between the two locations.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Rogers, pull together three S.H.I.E.L.D. away teams and meet me in the launch room.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“‘L/n’, assemble Wilson, Romanoff, Barton and Thor. Tell them to suit up and meet me in the launch room…..and get yourself down there.”

“Yes, Sir.” You bolted off the Bridge while hailing your teammates.

“Nick, do you really think it’s a good idea to put ‘f/n’ down there? It’s too personal, she might not have her head in the game. I can already see a change in her,” Steve noted.

“Don’t you think I’ve been watching her? Did you see that look she gave at the debriefing? That was a look of anger, not fear. And here, did you see what she just did? She just figured this whole God forsaken mess out. I would say her head is in the game, Captain and she’s downright pissed. Her fire is fueled and she’ll use that to her advantage. I brought her here for a reason and I think the reason just presented itself. Do you agree?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good, now let’s get that Bastard so we can all go home.”

~~~~~~

Steve walked into the launch room, suited up and ready with the three away teams. You were already there with the rest of the team and Fury. “Alright, I’m only going to say this once. I want General Griffin brought in. He’ll have some serious crimes to answer to so we can’t let him slip through our fingers. All teams will utilize S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for facility sweeps and Air Force for weapons pick up. Wilson, you and Thor will head to Al Nabk, get any weapons and destroy the site. Get your team and go. Romanoff, you and Barton will go back to the Turkish hub with your team, and Rogers, you and ‘l/n’ will head to Izmit with your team. Now go.”

Everyone walked onto the tarmac and toward their respective Quinjets as Maria came over the comms. “Sir, the alarm has just been triggered.”

“God Damn, are you serious? Can anything else go wrong today, Agent Hill?” Fury exclaimed. “Agent Romanoff, change of plans. I need you to get to the Safe House ASAP.”

“Yes, Sir,” Natasha replied. She left you and Steve and ran to another jet.

“Natasha, I’ve got two agents coming with you,” informed Maria.

“Copy that,” Natasha confirmed.

You looked at Steve with confusion on your face. “I don’t know what it is either,” Steve responded, shoulders shrugging. He guided you to a spot to sit on the jet, with him settling in beside you. Daylight was almost gone by this point and the interior of the jet was darkened. Minimal lighting was on but you didn’t have to look to know that Steve was staring at you. “Talk to me, ‘f/n’.”

You let out a big sigh and leaned your head back on the jet wall. “I’m angry. Angry for what is happening, angry that Griffin is behind this, angry for what he’s doing to my friends, angry that I let myself get used by him. Who knows how long he was doing this while I was working for him. It just burns my ass…...sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, ‘f/n’,” Steve placed his hand on your leg. “I’ve never seen you angry and you’re a calm angry, which is kind of scary.” You raised your head and formed a slight smile. “I’m not saying _you’re_ scary,” Steve smiled back. 

You let out a tiny chuckle, “I guess my wall goes up and I hide inside my brain, trying to figure out the right plan. It’s what I do,” you looked at Steve’s dim-lit face as the Quinjet took off. “Ugh,” you quietly moaned as your stomach fell into your feet.

Steve cupped your face, not caring if the other agents noticed. “You can always talk to me, ‘f/n’, get it out and we’ll work on it together. I’ve seen you get inside your head, remember?” You nodded. “I promise I’ll always help.”

“Thank you, Steve.” He released his hands from your face and found your hand resting at your side. He entwined his fingers with yours as you laid your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes and praying for the flight to be over.

Seconds later, you heard over the comm, “Wilson to Base,” to which you shot your eyes open.

“Base here, go ahead, Wilson,” Maria replied.

“Nothing here in Al Nabk, no people, no weapons. Thor is going to strike the bunker and we’ll head back to Damascus to assist Colonel Rhodes and Stark, with your permission.”

“Permission granted, Fury spoke.”

“Roger that. Wilson out.”

You lifted your head from Steve’s shoulder. “I can’t figure out why we’re not finding weapons. Griffin is supposed to be laundering, so where are they? This is like a wild goose chase.”

“I don’t understand it myself. He’s covering up and allowing us to blow his locations. We’re destroying him and he’s letting us.”

“I wonder if there’s something I missed?”

“You didn’t miss anything. We’re all in this together and we’ll figure it out together.” You laid your head back on Steve’s shoulder. “Twenty-five more minutes, ‘f/n’. You’re doing great,” Steve squeezed your hand. 

The jet was silent for another ten minutes when the comms were active again. “Agent Barton to Base, come in.”

“Base here, go ahead Agent Barton,” Maria replied.

“The hub is dead, no activity, no nothing. Even the computer system is inactive.” You shot your head up and off of Steve’s shoulder and looked at him intensely. “I’m not getting a good feeling about this, Base. I’m sending the Air Force jet back. We’ll blow the site and take the Quin to Izmit to back up the Captain and Agent ‘l/n’. What’s their ETA?”

“They are about twelve minutes out, Agent Barton. Please proceed and get to Izmit for back up.”

“Roger that. Barton out.”

“Colonel Rhodes to Base….I am bringing the guards back to the carrier. The M.A.S.H. unit is here and are treating the soldiers. Most are merely dehydrated and are responding well to liquids. There are only a small few that need further attention and they are being transported back to their unit. I have made contact with the Secretary of Defense and we are shipping these soldiers home. There is a Major Stone here that is well enough to hold the camp for another day until transportation gets here. Wilson and Thor arrived with their away team and with their help, triage should be complete within the hour. They’ll return to Base once Major Stone is settled. Tony’s heading to Izmit.

“Roger that, Colonel,” Fury responded. “I will help escort your guests to the luxury suite we call the Brig once you arrive at Base. Fury out.”

“Wow,” you commented. “Colonel Rhodes has it all together. Wish I had worked for him,” you smirked.

“We’re five minutes out,” called the pilot.

“Groovy,” you exclaimed as you leaned forward to collect your backpack. You turned on your tablet and started scanning for heat signatures. A red dot appeared on your screen. “Oh crap, Steve look.” You showed him the tablet. “Agent Hill, are you in sync with my tablet?”

“Affirmative. I can see the heat signature.”

“Okay, that signature is about a half mile away, north of the building and since it’s so weak, it’s probably underground. That can’t be Griffin….he can’t….he wouldn’t be here, would he? That’s too easy,” you looked at Steve as you felt the jet landing.

“Both jets are setting down about a quarter mile from the site,” announced the pilot. “It’s the closest clearing.”

“Hey guys, I’m coming to your party,” announced Barton on the comms, “just coming in for a landing behind you.” You heard his engines fire down as your jet hatch opened. You all unloaded and Clint’s team met up with yours, the Air Force jet taxiing in from a small strip of land to the west of you. 

“Okay everyone,” Steve started, “there is one heat signature a half mile north of this building and we are currently a quarter mile south. Barton, you take the agents and hone in on the bunker. If there are any weapons, which I highly doubt at this point, start loading. Agent ‘l/n’ and I are heading to the heat signature. Keep in contact.”

“Yes, Sir,” Clint replied as he signaled to the two away teams to head toward the bunker and surround it.

Steve took your hand and led you toward the side of the Quinjet. “We’ll have to run this last stretch and it’s really dark, so stay as close to me as you can.” He cupped your face again, wasting no time applying his lips to yours. Desperation was felt between the both of you before he pulled his warmth away. “Let’s go.” Steve’s sense of direction was phenomenal, as if he had a photographic memory. You had secured the tablet inside your jacket and started running.

Rock music suddenly blasted through your comm, almost making you rip it out of your ear. “Tony!” you yelled.

“What! Too loud?” You looked up and saw him fly over. “Just a little travel music. I’m scanning the area before you head in.”

“Thanks, Stark, Steve replied. 

Tony’s voice came back to you. “Uh, guys, there’s no building.”

“What? It’s underground then,” you commented between running breaths.”

“Hold on. J, give me an IR scan of the area.”

“Yes, Sir. There is a metal door, flush with the ground about forty feet to your right.” JARVIS plotted a map into Tony’s mask. 

“Got it.”

“Wait, Stark, don’t blow it,” Steve commanded. “We’re here,” he slowed and looked behind him. You were right on his tail although you had to run using all your energy just to keep up with his jog. Hmph, not fair!

Grabbing the tablet, you double checked everything again. “You know, the heat signature hasn’t moved since we were on the jet,” you looked between Steve and Tony.

“That’s odd,” Steve commented. He looked down at the door. There was indeed a heavy padlock on it. He didn’t want Tony to use his repulsors so he slammed his shield against it and broke it off. He cautiously lifted the wide door and you had your gun at the ready. The entry consisted of extremely dim lighting and a set of stairs. Steve jumped down first and signaled you to follow. Tony stayed above ground and kept surveillance.

Putting your gun back in the holster and tossing your tablet into your jacket, you stepped on the first landing then hung on to the railings and slid the rest of the way down. Steve caught you at the bottom and when your feet touched the ground, you grabbed for your tablet and gun again. “The heat signature is back in this direction about a hundred feet. We passed over it while running here,” you whispered and showed Steve the tablet.

“Okay, let’s see if we can find it.” He led the way down the hall and you gave directions through the dim to dark hallways. It wasn’t the most sanitary looking place as standing water littered the halls, probably from foundation cracks and rain seepage, black mould peppered the walls and the smell was fairly pungent.

“It should be to the right, just around this corner,” you stated as you shoved the tablet back into your uniform. Stopping at the corner, you watched Steve and waited for his signal that the next hallway was clear. He went around and you followed, each finding your spot on either side of the metal door. Steve quietly tried to turn the handle. Locked. You gave him a look that confirmed the last thing either of you wanted to do was make a lot of noise. You lowered yourself into a crouch and positioned yourself to run in on Steve’s command. He stood in front of the door and with shield above his head, he quickly slammed it against the knob, breaking it off. He kicked the door down and stepped in quickly with you right beside him. Standing and surveying, the area looked like a hospital room. Gurneys lined the wall and rolling tables were littered with vials and syringes. A curtain was pulled across the far corner where you and Steve directed your eyes. Slowly inching toward the area, Steve's hand reached out for the curtain. Armed and ready, you made direct eye contact with him and gave a short nod. He whipped the curtain back revealing the heat signature from your tablet. Propped up and bound to a gurney in the corner, a shirtless man looked like he had been beaten, his body and bearded face was severely bruised and bloody. As he lay seemingly unconscious, head dangling to the opposite side, you noticed the syringes strewn across a tray beside the bed. 

“Is that Griffin?” Steve asked.

“I don’t think it is,” you replied, looking confused. Steve approached to start freeing the man’s wrists from his binds. You moved the gurney away from the wall to have access to the other side to check the man’s vitals. 

“Sir? Sir, can you hear me?” you asked, with no response. 

Steve placed his fingers on the pulse point of his neck. “Weak pulse.” 

You slightly rubbed his arm before unshackling it. “Sir?” Still no response. Taking the man’s face gently in your hands and turning him toward the light, you took in a massive, frightened gasp.

“Dad!”


End file.
